Improvement in oyster-tongs



@einen taies @what @Hira- Letters Patent No. 75,550, dated March 17, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN creara-roues'.

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'Io ALI; wiioM I'I MAY coNcERN:

Be it known that I, JOB JOHNSON, 0F Brooklyn, in' the county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented, niade, and applied to use a certain -new and useful Improvement in vOysterhlongs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear-,rand cx-act description of the said invention, reference being had to the anuexeddrawing, making part of this specification, wherein-- Figure 1 is a' side view of said tongs, as open ready for use,

VFigure 2 is a similar view in a closed position.

Figurer?) isan elevation at right angles to fig. 2; and v `Figure 4 is.f a side view with the tongs open, showings, slightvariation '"Similar' marks of reference denote the same pa'rts.- i

j My invention is `a-mbdiication ofand improvement upon those'oyster-tongs thatwere patented by me, October 2,1866. .j I

This invention relates to a pair of toggle-bars combined withuthe oyster-tongs in such a manner that said tongs, by the action of 4a rope and pole, orby the action of two ropes, maybe opened or closed at pleasure, and be employed at any depth to gather oysters or any-substance under water.

In the drawing, a and I; represent rake-teeth-or prongsof any desired size or shape. I have represented the same as teethcut from .a sheet of'metal, which also forms a head or scoop, c, for'holding the oysters or other materials gathered by the tongs. ot and e are the handles ofthe tongs, united to the heads c ofthe teeth aand b, respectively, and jointed at 1. Braces or fender-bars are also employed between the handles and vthe headsof the scoop or rake, as atf. The ends of the bars d and Ae are jointed to the togglefbars y and 7L, respectL ively, at 2 and'S, and atthe upper Vpart of the apparatus' the bars gand 7L are united by the joint 4. In tig. 4

'this apparatus is shown in a'fornn adapted to deep water. The r'ope 7c is attached to an eye or device, 7, at the. joint 4, andthe rope l is attached by the'branches to the eyes 5. Y y

' When the apparatus is opened into the position shown in iig. 4,` it is to'be lowered, the two ropes, k and Z, `passing through the hands of the operator, or otherwise, so that the apparatusis in a conditionfor-use. By drawing upon the rope it, the toggle-barsg and It will vbe raised, closing the rake or drawing the teeth of the tongs towards each other, so as to grasp any oysters or other substances between the tongs, and by continuing to vpull on the same' the tongs will be kept together and drawn up. If it becomes/necessary to ,openthe tongs to 'disengage ythemv from'any heavy or useless substance, it can be done by drawing upon the rope l.

' The sante general' features exist'in the ltongs vrepresented in the other iigures of the drawing, therope /c being employedto close and draw up the tongs and the rope Z to open them. It, however, is often necessary that the attendant be able to press the tongs down into the :nud or upon the article to begrasped; for' this puri pose ,I employ-a pola-m, at the lower-gend of which I provide-a rod, n, attached atits bottom end to the tongs y bythe'bolt orrivet of-the joint 1, so that the power'to press do'wn th'e tongs can beappliedat this point, and said-A tongs bestill in a condition to be closed by drawing upon the rope 7c. I nd it advantageous to employ an eye at the joint 4, to travel over the rod n, to guide the parts as the tongs are open'ed or closed.

I have' shown, in.igs.-1, 2, and 3, the rope l as passing under a sheave, o,'on-,or in the handle or rod n, and going up to a loop or eye, 6, Vat the under side of the joint 4, so that the tongs will be opened by-drawing down this joint 4 oi' the toggle-bars y and t. Ah eye might he substituted for the sheave o. Therad orpole m n may be attached in any convenient manner to whichever joint ofthe tongs desired; I, however, 4prefer the same applied in the way shown. The rope [may pass through an eye, 8, on the pole m, and if a knot is appliedabove I t Y that eye,` or any other 'sitop applied to said rope, it will prevent the tongs closing Ibeyond a-given point.

i 'Ihe tongs shown in fig. 4 may be-prov-ided with a sheave, 0, attached to the joint l, and formed with cheekpieces, to prevent the rope slipping oil', and through this the rope .Z may be passed,as 'shown in iig.` 4, by red lines, and led to the eye 6, at the joint 4, so as to open or close the tongs as before described. LThe eyes 6 and f7 should be-madefat the ends of a'metal plate, introduced at the joint 4, between the' bars g nd t.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is l 1. The pair of toggle-bars g t, jointed'to the ends of the tongs d e, substantially as specified, sothat the in the mode of operating 'sh-id tongs.

tongs will be closed by drawing up the joint'between the bars g h, or opened by. drawing the `ioini: between the bars d e, towards the said joint, between the 'bars g h.

2. n combination with the toggle-bars g z. and tongs e d, as aforesaidLI claim the'pole or bar m n, and the ropes or chains c l, substantially as and/foi` the purposes specified.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my signature, this twentieth day of April, 186'.

J OB JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

Cms. H.r` SMITH, GEO. D. WALKER. 

